Columbia Standard

White students were the most represented ethnicity among students at Richland County universities in the 2022-23 school year, according to the latest disclosure from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Of the 33,367 students attending institutions in the county at the time, 64.2% were white. This is an increase of 1.2% in enrollment numbers, compared to the previous year.

Black or African American students comprised the second largest ethnic group in the county, followed by Hispanic students.

Countywide, the number of undergraduates attending the 10 universities in the county during the 2022-23 school year grew by 1.6%. University of South Carolina-Columbia reported the largest student body, with 27,343 students.

Graduation rates reveal a significant achievement gap among different ethnicities. While white students graduate at a rate of 62.1%, Black and Hispanic students graduate at a rate of around 40%.

Ethnic Group	% of Total Student Body
White	64.2%
Black or African American	18.1%
Hispanic	5.7%
Multiracial	3.6%
Asian	3.5%
U.S. nonresident	3.4%
Unknown	1.4%
American Indian or Alaskan Native	0.1%